Proverbs 2:1 says, My son, if thou wilt receive my words, and hide my commandments with thee;  Though written by Solomon, I believe that we can safely say that this refers to God.  We are God's children if we accept His gift of salvation.  After referring to us as His son, or child, there is a big if, stating that if we receive and live by God's commandments, then what is said next will be true.  God's promises are always based on our obedience to Him.  Verse two states, So that thou incline thine ear unto wisdom, and apply thine heart to understanding;  We are to listen for God's instructions and make them the basis of our actions.  The only way to know what God would have us do is to listen for His word to us.  We also need to understand that God's word to us will always be consistent with what His word has always said.  Verse three declares, Yea, if thou criest after knowledge, and liftest up thy voice for understanding;  I believe that this is the knowledge of God that we are to cry out for,, and that it is with an unwavering faith in Who He is that we are to lift up our voices.  We may have the greatest knowledge of how the world thinks, but without a knowledge of what God says it is worthless.  Verse four says, If thou seekest her as silver, and searchest for her as for hid treasures;  We are told that we are to seek the knowledge God as we would seek the riches of the world.  The truth of God is worth more than any treasure we might find in this world.  The question then becomes which do we seek most, earthly riches or the wisdom of God?  Verse five states, Then shalt thou understand the fear of the LORD, and find the knowledge of God.  When we put searching for the truth of God ahead of material things, we are promised that we will fear, or respect, God and find His knowledge, which is the only true knowledge.  Verse six states, For the LORD giveth wisdom: out of his mouth cometh knowledge and understanding.  Once more, we are told that true wisdom comes from God.  The word of God gives us knowledge and understanding of how everything was created and is sustained, which is by the action of God.  We can either choose to believe this or not.  Verse seven says, He layeth up sound wisdom for the righteous: he is a buckler to them that walk uprightly.  This basically tells us that if we would be righteous, then we must believe God's word, because we can only become righteous through the grace of God.  Once we accept God's gift of salvation, of righteousness, then we must walk in righteousness in all that we do.  Verse eight says, He keepeth the paths of judgment, and preserveth the way of his saints.  God is the One Who keeps us on the path of righteousness.  After we become followers of Christ, we are not suddenly able to live by God's will by our own ability, but the Holy Spirit comes to live in us and to enable us to do so.  Verse nine declares, Then shalt thou understand righteousness, and judgment, and equity; yea, every good path.  Only after we acknowledge that God is the Creator, Sustainer, and Redeemer of everything can we understand His righteousness, judgment, and fairness.  When we do understand this, we will not ask how a loving God could send people to hell, but will understand that He did everything He could, short of forcing them to follow Him, to keep them from going there.